4.30.2008

The average American spends 13 days on vacation each year. Take away a couple three day weekends and an obligatory family visit and it doesn't leave much time for exploring, for the outdoors, and for adventure.

But with employers cutting hours, carbon fumes from commuters stinking up the planet, and stress/bad news all around us ... it seems like taking a vacation would actually be a pretty good idea right now.

Imagine checking out for a while, getting away from the news, the politics, the endless CNN stream, and allowing your mind to focus on a different part of the planet.

Surf Maine: The Kennebunk-based Aquaholics Surf Shop offers surf lessons starting April 1 with all the necessary equipment provided. Before you say, “that’s not manly, that’s just crazy,” you should know your instructor will be a woman. Wicked Outdoorsy Sausage Scale: 8. LINK

Ski Tuckerman’s Ravine: The quintessential backcountry skiing and riding spot heats up when warmer temps arrive in New Hampshire. With a variety of seriously steep terrain, some maxing out at 90º, the adventure begins with a three-mile hike from Pinkham Notch, followed by a ton of hiking, just to reach a few minutes of glory. Definitely not for beginners. Wicked Outdoorsy Sausage Scale: 7 LINKMAY

Raft the Dead River: As this winter’s record snow pack turns from white to whitewater, the local whitewater guides at Northern Outdoors are expecting the Dead’s legendary rapids to be the biggest in the resort’s 32-season history. Wicked Outdoorsy Sausage Scale: 9.5LINK

Blast Vermont turkeys: Home to New England’s most robust turkey population, Vermont will declare open season on these wild birds from May 1-31. Wicked Outdoorsy Sausage Scale: 7 LINK

Formula 1 racing in Montreal: F1 fans from all over the world will bring their mullets to Montreal on June 8 to see some of the world’s most talented drivers race for the checkered flag. Oh, we’ve heard Cuban cigars are legal in Canada. Wicked Outdoorsy Sausage Scale: 6LINK

4.22.2008

I read a few days ago (LINK) that many facilities which accept #7 plastic do not actually recycle them, but just take them to make it easier on their customers. Do you actually recycle #7 plastics in Chittenden County?

"Dear Drew

"The ban on that type of plastic in Canada does not affect recycling markets, or our current ability to recycle that material, here in the U.S. and specifically here in Chittenden County.

"We recycle all the materials that we say we recycle. We have about a 5% waste rate at the Materials Recovery Facility, where all blue-bin recyclables go, and that’s mostly material that people mistakenly/incorrectly put into their blue bins that should go elsewhere.

"If such a ban is enacted in the U.S., and if it affected our markets (some of which are overseas, which could help insulate from the effects of a ban here), then yes, we would not be able to recycle that material. Should that come about, we would stop accepting the material, and make sure the public was aware of it.

"We have no interest in promoting or adopting the type of bait-and-switch tactics that supposedly garner more material by lying about what is actually recycled. It’s good for you to be aware that it happens and to take the trouble to make sure for yourself that it isn’t happening here.

Now, it is spring. Still small islands of snow in the north-facing pockets of his Cabot estate, but everywhere else, the green-brown of winter-killed field and forest. Last week, he skied twice and rode his bicycle four times, an Olympian week by the recent standards of his athletic life.

Always, he feels the pull at this time of year: There’s the desire to play, to spin the pedals for hours at a time, lost in the trance of the road or trail and the feel of his skin tightening under the hard April sun. And there’s the need to attend to the particulars of the farm: Yesterday, for instance, he tore down an old chicken fence, transplanted 50-raspberry plants, planted peas, and harvested firewood. Then, he had lunch.

There is no economic justification for his toil. If he were a thinking man, he’d give it up, buy his food at the food store, install an oil-burning furnace, kick back a bit. Ride his bike. But he’s always run on instinct and feel. Maybe this lack of rationale is merely proof of a life’s passion. Or maybe, as his wife so often suggests, it’s more evidence of his stubborn nature, his pig-headed approach to a world that vexes him no end.

If you're lucky ... like me ... then you're past puberty and have no breasts (that you're willing to admit to, anyway) therefore you're not at risk for any possible side effects from the BPA in your groovy little water bottle.

If you're not so lucky, then you probably spent last weekend sorting through your fairly hefty collection of shwag sippy cups from the last couple decades of trade shows looking for a number 7 on the bottom. (Note: If you didn't make Nalgene or Nalgene-knock-off shwag in recent years, then you probably weren't paying attention ... the items were crazy cheap, super-popular, and even bad logos looked great on the side. Ironically, the "green" angle of using them instead of throwaway water bottles was their primary draw.)

So, sitting there with a couple dozen non-recyclable polycarbonate water bottles that allegedly leach BPA into water, even at room temperature, it probably struck you in the cranium like an 11th hour Pennsylvania Primary slam ad ...

Throwing these things away is probably just as bad as drinking out of them. If they leach into casual drinking water, what will they do if we throw a couple hundred thousand of them into a landfill?

4.17.2008

I sat down to sip my morning joe, wrapped in comfort in my Chinese-made fleece bathrobe, and checked the day's news on my trusty Macintosh, which was made in China.

From my comfy spot on our Chinese-made couch, I saw the morning sun glint off of the kids' bikes laying in the yard, both of which were made in China. Their Chinese-made helmets were also in the yard, glowing with sheen of last night's hard frost. Seeing the bike gear reminded me that I would need to throw some Chinese-made wax on our Chinese-made skis this weekend before storing them for the season.